Uganda Police spokesman Fred Enanga, has revealed that Sheikh Mutumba Massudi was killed due to land wrangles with neighbours but not religion.
Also, Enanga said, the former Imam of Masjid Noor Lweba in Bugiri district’s murder is not related to the killing of other Muslim.
Mutumba was gunned down on Friday while at his home on Friday 14 at around 9:00pm by a man dressed in a black overall coat.
Musa Kanaabe, the son to the deceased, who witnessed his father being shot dead, said that the killers first rang his father who was seated inside the house waiting to be served supper.
He said when his father moved out of the house in order to get a clear network signal, he heard a gunshot and when he got out, found his father lying in a pool of blood.
While addressing journalists at the Police headquarters, Naguru on Monday, Enanga said currently 8 suspects have been arrested in correspondence to this murder including a bodaboda man who transported the assailants.
“Our task team in Busoga region in close coordination with our officers in Bugiri responded to this killing by shooting and we are happy to inform you that so far we have arrested 8 suspects from one family that are highly connected to this senseless killing, this includes the Bodaboda man who brought them to Sheik Mutumba’s home,” he said.
Enanga added that according to the preliminary facts, the shooting came from an ongoing land wrangle with the neighbour called Koitta Sulaiman also a resident of Busimba village.
“It’s on record that the now deceased had won a civil suit in Bugiri High Court which was appealed in Jinja High Court and actually the judgement was due to be made on 20th this month 2020. Prior to the killing, the perpetrators first held the meeting at their home in Busimba village. That is where they hatched a plan to murder the sheikh,” he said.
“On that very day, the Bodaboda rider whom we have in custody, the second assailant and lone gunman moved to the home of the deceased, the lone gunman who is known to the victim approached him and called him out of the house and that is where he shot him one single bullet to the head killing him instantly,” said Enanga.
He added that after killing the Sheikh, the killer jumped on the bodaboda and went disappeared. Currently Police has gotten information indicating every one who was in the meeting that hatched the plan to murder.
“Right now, we already know the identity of the killer and our teams of the homicide from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation, flying squad and Busoga police are diligently looking out at every lead that links to the arrest of the prime suspect who is still out there and also that will lead us to the recovery of the gun after all we have already the cartridge of the bullet. At least we have 8 suspects who have eye connections to the murder plot of Sheikh Mutumba Masuudi,
“We would like to reassure the public that Mutumba’s murder has not connection to the Muslim faith, it was not religious-related neither is it connected to the killing of the Muslim clerics in 2016. This was a typical motive for personal conflict developed out of land wrangle that has been going on, ” he said.
Police cautioned the relatives who could be facilitating the killer by either sending him money that they should know that that’s compounding a felony which may also lead them to be arrested.
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